Citation
Hou, Xiaohui & Zhang, Jing (2017). The Effects of Public Health Insurance Expansion on Private Health Insurance in Urban China. International Journal of Health Economics and Management, 17, 35-75.Abstract
The public social health insurance coverage has rapidly increased in China in the last decade. The rapid market development and high economic growth also present an immense opportunity for the private insurance market. This paper uses the China Health and Nutrition Survey panel data and the difference-in-difference method to identify the causal effects of public health insurance expansion on private health insurance development in the case of expansion of the China Urban Residential Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) program. The paper finds private health insurance enrollment is not affected by the introduction and expansion of URBMI. Rather, private health insurance plays supplementary roles. The findings present the challenges and opportunities for public policies to develop and regulate private health insurance to meet the market niches and provide health insurance to the demands of a heterogeneous population. The findings also have broader implications for other developing nations where public health insurance intends to rapidly expand towards the universal health coverage.
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10754-017-9213-0Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2017Journal Title
International Journal of Health Economics and ManagementAuthor(s)
Hou, XiaohuiZhang, Jing